WASHINGTON – St. Louis lawyer Kevin O’Malley appears to be on his way to a relatively quick confirmation to become ambassador to Ireland.

He received mostly gentle questioning from senators before a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee considering his nomination and that of four others, including ambassador nominees to Turkey and France. Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. gave him bipartisan support in short introductory speeches, and the senator chairing the committee said he hoped to expedite getting O’Malley and other nominees before the full Senate for approval.

O’Malley, who was nominated last month by President Barack Obama, said he believes there is “an unbreakable bond and a deep kinship between the people of the United States and the people of Ireland.” He pointed out that many of the founders and soldiers in the Revolutionary Army were Irish, and that the two countries have maintained strong bonds in trade and security. The U.S. and Ireland have $38 billion in annual trade.

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